Remember when flying used to be boring — when your diversions were limited to the in-flight magazine, the SkyMall catalogue, and a third-rate movie on a tiny ceiling screen several rows ahead of you?

Nowadays, thanks to the proliferation of personal electronic devices, new storage technology, Wi-Fi, and streaming video, passengers are enjoying a bewildering array of content choices for keeping themselves entertained from gate to gate. And the number of choices just keeps growing.

This week, Virgin America fired the latest salvo, announcing new in-flight content partnerships with the Spotify online music service and with The New York Times. On Virgin aircraft equipped with the new ViaSat Wi-Fi, Spotify users will have free streaming access to the service’s entire catalogue of more than 30 million songs. (Virgin and Spotify even pulled together dozens of playlists themed to various destination cities; you can see them at www.virginamerica.com/spotify) .

At the same time, The New York Times partnership will provide passengers with a selection of articles including breaking news, business news, travel, technology, and a list of “most viewed” stories, available for reading through any Wi-Fi linked device on ViaSat-equipped flights. The new content partnerships come on the heels of Virgin America’s recent announcement that flyers on those ViaSat aircraft will also be able to stream shows from the Netflix programming roster at no cost through March 2.

(Currently, there are only two Virgin planes outfitted with ViaSat, but it should have 10 by next summer.)

Content options continue to proliferate at other airlines as well. For instance:

JetBlue, which just finished installing high-speed “Fly-Fi” Wi-Fi service on its A320/321 fleet, has a new partnership with Amazon that will let Amazon Prime members stream movies and TV shows in-flight — as well as audio from a million songs in the Amazon Prime Music service. JetBlue also recently inked a contract with Major League Baseball that lets passengers stream live, real time game broadcasts from all 30 teams at their seats.

United recently announced expanded content from HBO for in-flight streaming to personal electronic devices (PEDs), with full seasons of top-rated shows like Entourage, Game of Thrones and True Detective. The carrier also said it has teamed up with Vevo to give passengers free access to hundreds of music videos and concert performances. And it has started deploying PED streaming entertainment on its fleet of 120 Wi-Fi equipped regional jets (E170s, E175s and CRJ700s). (Me, Earl and the Dying Girl had seatmate and I all weepy last night on a United ATL-SFO transcon)

Rather read than watch or listen? Global Eagle Entertainment, a packager of in-flight content for dozens of airline customers (like Southwest), recently announced it is teaming up with Zinio to make 3,000 magazine titles in 50 languages available to flyers, either by streaming or through seatback systems. The company has also joined with the folks at Lonely Planet to bring 30 of the publisher’s packet travel guides to its in-flight entertainment platform.

And today we’ve learned that Uber plans to offer seat back entertainment, too! Under a new partnership, ten Chevrolet Tahoe cars with AT&T wireless connectivity will do the rounds on four Saturdays in Detroit, Nashville, Houston and Atlanta in October and November. The vehicles will have four tablets in the back of headrests, wireless headsets and phone chargers. Riders can watch a livestream of football games through AT&T’s U-verse TV app on tablets connected to its 4G LTE network. Details here.

Which airline has the best inflight entertainment? Why do you think so? Please leave your comments below!

Now through mid-2016 Virgin has teamed up with Netflix to offer free wi-fi (and free streaming of content like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black) onboard its brand new jets outfitted with the new ViaSat system.

Currently, there are only two of these shiny new A320s darting across the country, but Virgin will be deploying a new one every month through next June, for a total of 10.

The free wi-fi deal is only available on the new A320s with ViaSat– if you are on a Gogo equipped plane, you’ll still have to pay. (But here’s How to save $$ on pricey inflight wi-fi.) Regrettably, there is currently no way to know if the plane you are on has ViaSat or Gogo until you board.

To kickoff the announcement, Virgin is unveiling a House of Cards and Netflix-branded aircraft (pictured above). Also, beginning next month, it will be offering House of Cards seasons 1-3 on all flights via its recently-upgraded Red entertainment system.

Never one to miss out on a show-biz angle, Virgin America is calling in the stars for the launch of this new partnership today. Here’s a what they’ve got going on today:

To help kickoff the surprise unveiling of a House of Cards and Netflix-branded aircraft will be Michael Kelly, the Emmy-nominated star of the Netflix original series House of Cards. Kelly’s character Doug Stamper, who serves as President Frank Underwood’s loyal consultant and Machiavellian fixer, will drop in on Virgin America Flight 1 from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). Guests onboard the flight will be able to binge-watch Netflix content in Virgin America’s mood-lit cabin and will be treated to a signature Whiskey Whistleblower cocktail, while Kelly – as Doug Stamper – dispenses some tongue-in-cheek, morally-ambiguous political advice over the aircraft’s intercom before take-off.

Secret Upgrades. Last week a new plan to surprise and delight United’s best customers with “secret” upgrades was revealed in an employee memo.

While United confirmed the existence of the program to TravelSkills, details such as criteria for selection remain sketchy.

According the BrianSumers.com blog, United intends to upgrade certain “high value customers” to first class from coach on domestic flights, or to international first class from business class on a segment-by-segment basis.

While most high value customers tend to score upgrades based on their status a few days before a flight, the new surprise and delight plan apparently notifies passengers a few weeks ahead of time.

Have you been the recipient of a mysterious “secret” upgrade yet? Were you surprised or delighted? Let us know!

And finally, one more thing that will surprise and delight you: FREE COFFEE! Today only. Check out my tweet!

Business travelers who subscribe to Netflix will soon be able to use the streaming entertainment service through the Internet-connected TVs in guest rooms at Marriott Hotels.

By using the Netflix app on the TV screen, guests can access their own Netflix accounts or subscribe to the service, the hotel company said in an announcement this week.

The new Netflix offering is currently available at the New York Marriott East Side, San Jose Marriott, Princeton Marriott, Newport (R.I.) Marriott, Dallas/Ft. Worth Marriott Solana and the Bethesda (Md.) Marriott Suites.

It will soon be available at the Marriott Marquis Washington D.C., San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Dayton Marriott, San Juan Marriott Resort and the Anaheim Marriott, the company said.

Netflix should be available at 100 Marriott Hotels by the end of this year, and at all of its 300 U.S. properties by the end of 2016.

“While the introduction of Netflix is currently focused on the Marriott Hotels brand, the service is also available in over two dozen U.S. hotels representing other Marriott International brands. The company will expand Netflix to its other brands in the future,” a spokesman said.

Netflix in your hotel room? Since the streaming entertainment service Netflix has grown so fast and attracted so many subscribers, wouldn’t it be nice if you could access it while you’re away on business?

Marriott thinks so, and the hotel giant is currently testing the availability of Netflix and other streaming services like Pandora and Hulu in guest rooms at eight of its properties.

Still unknown: Whether Netflix access would come with a fee attached, and if so, how much.

TechCrunch opined, “The hospitality company says that it’s part of an effort to renew the idea of in-room entertainment, and if offering Netflix means we don’t have to sift through the glitchy, slow world of LodgeNet, it’s a win-win for the consumer.”

I think I’d rather just cuddle up on the hotel bed with my iPad to watch Netflix or other streaming services– but of course that is dependent on the mostly undependable wi-fi connection at most hotels.

Would you use Netflix or other streaming services in your hotel/ If so, how much would you pay for it?

Editor Chris McGinnis

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